Loughner once drunk at school

TUCSON, Ariz. – Shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner was arrested for arriving drunk to school in 2006, according to records released Wednesday by the Pima County Sheriff.

The sheriff’s office released case reports related to all of the contacts the department had with Loughner before Saturday, when he is accused of opening fire in a North Tucson Safeway, killing six and wounding 13, among them Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

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According to the report, Loughner was 17 years old when the assistant principal called the police after he arrived to Mountain View High School intoxicated at 9 a.m. on May 12, 2006. The principal, identified in the report as Susan Slong, told the sheriff’s office that Loughner was so drunk that school officials had taken him to the emergency room.

When Officer Cheryl Berry arrived at the hospital, Loughner told her that he had drank almost half of a bottle of vodka—about 350 of the 750 milliliters in a typical fifth—because he was upset after his father yelled at him. Nurses told Berry that Loughner had stolen the vodka from his father’s liquor cabinet.

Both of Loughner’s parents arrived at the hospital, and he was arrested for drinking alcohol.

Correction: An earlier version of the headline incorrectly stated that Jared Loughner was arrested for drunk driving. He was arrested for underage drinking.